Thursday, November 05, 2009

I Dare You Not To Cry


This is probably the most heart wrenching thing I have ever seen. Elena Desserich was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer when she was just five years old.

Between the time she was diagnosed and the time she died when she was six, Elena hid hundreds of notes all over the house she shared with her parents and sister. She hid the notes between the pages of books, in cupboards, drawers, bags, and clothes stashed away for the winter.
Her parents found the first notes a few days after she died and ever since have been finding them at regular intervals. Her parents decided to make a book called Notes Left Behind.

Elena addressed the notes to her parents, to her sister, her grandparents and even her dog. Despite losing the ability to speak and the onset of what would become permanent paralysis, Elena kept writing the notes and kept hiding them.
Because the parents are afraid they will someday find all the notes, they each have one unopened note they carry with them at all times.

"It's our way of saving the last note," said Elena's mom.
All the proceeds from the book are going to be used for cancer research.


43 comments:

  1. yep, crying...I'll buy the book but I'm sure I can't read it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I read about this yesterday and it made me choke up. It angered me when I read comments from people saying that it was a set up because they would have found them way before because they would of cleaned, right? I was like damn, the little girl has passed on. Show some sympathy. I think it's sweet.

    ReplyDelete
  3. OMG, God Bless her soul

    ReplyDelete
  4. yep, crying. I honestly think sometimes we are graced with the presence of people or in this case children, who are far better people than we can ever hope to be.

    ReplyDelete
  5. It's a testament to those parents that their little girl felt so loved that she wanted to be sure that her parents felt it too. Very touching.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yeah, totally tearing up; however, I don't think anything will make me cry as much as "Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father" did. Holy Jesus.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I read those comments, too, Caroline, and they made me angry. When did we get so cynical?

    I'm sure this little girl is still writing notes up in Heaven. God bless her and family.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm in tears. At work. Wonderful and heartbreaking all at the same time.

    ReplyDelete
  9. it has nothing to do with sympathy. everyone feels sympathy for a little girl that died of cancer.

    it's hard not to be cynical in this day and age. this story's probably true, but i admit my eyebrows went up a tiny bit when i read it.

    so shoot me.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I am blessed with a daughter who likes to leave notes or drawings for us. She is 10 and has been doing this for a while. She doesn't hide them, but usually leaves it our bed or by our stuff. I am even more blessed that she is healthy. What a wonderful gift that little girl left for her family.

    ReplyDelete
  11. ^^BANG!

    J/k nancer ;)

    that is pretty fuckin' cynical though, lol.

    this is sweet and touching no matter what the M.O. is..

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a little angel!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks. Crying at work. That is simply heart-breaking.

    ReplyDelete
  14. wow...really? People were finding this suspect? Jesus...I really am starting to seriously dislike people...

    And Bigmama? I couldn't agree more with your statement.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh my. If it's true then what a sweet girl.
    I'm not surprised people are a little suspicious. All you have to do is look around and see how others have used the goodwill of people for their own gains.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Another one in tears, oh my.

    ReplyDelete
  17. enty is def female

    ReplyDelete
  18. all the proceeds are going to cancer research...there'd be no need to be suspect of anyone getting personal gain from this

    ReplyDelete
  19. This just blew me away. What an amazing little spirit...no, HUGE spirit in that precious little girl.

    ReplyDelete
  20. this broke my heart instantly when i read this story. i have a little 9 year old sister who leaves similar notes and that thought alone made me tear up. puts everything into perspective, i'll never take those drawing for granted ever again.

    ReplyDelete
  21. holy crap, yup tearing up here too...I don't find this suspicious at all. First, if you kid has such a bad illness, you probably aren't doing deep down house cleaning anyhow. Secondly, my 5 year old hides toys and stuff all the time and we end up stumbling upon the 'lost' item 6 months later...

    the Cynics have obviously not ever felt the true love of a child!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I am crying already....and I didn't even finish reading the post, Enty!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Oh..my..goddess.

    Yeah.

    All kinds of tearing up.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Just ordered my copy on Amazon.com. It's less than $12!!!

    I lost my mom and sis to cancer (within a two-month span). I don't know how I'd handle finding notes from them. I know that I still have a crayoned "I love you" from my nephew that he drew years ago and I cherish.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Ditto what Kris said:

    I will most certainly buy the book, but doubt I could ever open it up. As a Mom of 4, this subject busts me up.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Can't ...stop ...crying.

    ReplyDelete
  27. YOU'RE RIGHT....TEARS RUNNING DOWN MY FACE...

    ReplyDelete
  28. I have a 6 year old son. I don't care if it is a set-up, it's touching and heartbreaking and I hope that book makes millions of dollars. Must go buy one now.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Losing a child is IMHO the greatest loss a person can sustain. I hope the notes bring some peace to this family.

    ReplyDelete
  30. I pass the human test. My eyes are watery. She was a true ANGEL. God bless Elena. What a inspiration she is.


    *sniff*

    ReplyDelete
  31. nunaurbiz: I have a note from my niece who just turned 14, from when she was around 7, it's taped to my vanity and still makes me smile whenever I see it. :)

    My heart goes out to everyone who's lost an angel like this one. And how incredibly sweet that she lives on in her notes like that. RIP. XOXOX

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous2:06 PM

    Simply beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Well great. Now I'm a blubbering idiot instead of just an idiot. LOL.

    I think I'm going to pick up a few copies and give them out at Christmas. This is just too beautiful not to share.

    But first I'm going to get tissues...

    ReplyDelete
  34. I'm crying. Damn. I don't like to cry.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Damn. Crying.

    I don't think it's hard to believe really. They were probably little scraps of paper. Who looks in drawers every single day and cleans them out? I probably do it once a year. These were places she chose to hide her notes. Hide being the operative word.

    It's a lovely thing and I choose to believe it completely. I can't be cynical always. It's exhausting.

    ReplyDelete
  36. I saw a news show about this before the book. They showed clips of her while the Mom talked. I think I used half a box of kleenex.

    Bless her she must have had the largest heart ever. Her family was lucky to have had her touch their lives.

    ReplyDelete
  37. It angered me when I read comments from people saying that it was a set up because they would have found them way before because they would of cleaned, right?

    She hid the notes. And, funnily enough, the last thing parents think about when their kid has cancer is housework.

    Jeez, some people are heartless.

    ReplyDelete
  38. jesus h. christ. YOU CAN'T READ!!!!

    it's not about the child or her illness. it's not even about saying the story isn't true---i never said that.
    what i DID say is with all the shit going on and learning anew every day what assholes people can be, i admit to a shred of cynicism about the story's authenticity. it doesn't make me a cruel, heartless bitch. i'm just honest.

    as for the money going to research, i hope that's also true---i hope it's ALL true. but if you've never heard of someone saying the proceeds from their book is going for charity or research and finding out maybe only a fraction of it (or none) actually did, then you're naive.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Anonymous4:31 PM

    I just got goosebumps. What a sweet and loving gesture from this little girl. She took the time to think about the loved ones (including her dog) that she was leaving behind.

    (Leaving computer to get a kleenex for the tears)

    ReplyDelete
  40. What a wise and wonderful child. How amazing,and also how incredibly sad, is it that a child of that age would understand her mortality enough to know how wonderful it would be if she were able to leave notes for her family to find when she was no longer with them. Very touching.

    ReplyDelete
  41. ellapetal has a great idea - would make a lovely Christmas present.

    What a good, kind soul. Mom and Dad must be very proud.

    ReplyDelete
  42. My boy leaves me notes. He's supposed to be grounded, but I've decided that we're having Blizzards after school today. **sniff**

    That was a beautiful thought, bigmama.

    ReplyDelete